Get your head out of the cloud

When the future feels uncertain trust God and don’t be tempted to cling to the past, writes Jem Chesman.

Recently, my phone unexpectedly gave up. Usually that’s OK, because everything is saved on your cloud.

Not in my case! I had a sinking feeling, fearing I had lost all my photos of my boys.

I was so relieved when I powered up my new handset and thousands of images were still there.

As I started scrolling through old photos, I simultaneously put on the rose-tinted glasses.

We are currently entering the preteen season which is full of interesting challenges.

While navigating this new season, I looked back at photos of the baby and toddler years and began to feel that those times were easy.

However, my husband quickly reminded me that in those earlier days we often felt overwhelmed. Because of the challenges we face today, I temporarily forgot those of the past.

It’s easy to view the past through rose-tinted glasses. That’s what the Israelites were in danger of doing. Exiled in Babylon, God was about to lead them out, but it wasn’t going to be easy. It would require an arduous journey through the complete unknown.

Babylon offered at least some level of security. The wilderness offered none.